Marriage Under Construction

A Backyard Where We Belong

With two rooms upstairs finished, there's only one bedroom left to complete before Matt and Kate can move out of the dingy basement. But with the summer season fading fast, Kate votes to redo their overgrown backyard. Alex wants to minimize the yard's bowling alley effect by breaking it up into three spaces: an entry/grill area, a dining area and a place to lounge. Matt breaks out the jackhammer to break up the old concrete and prep it for plantings. To create privacy, they opt to save cash by building a willow fence instead of cedar. But Kate splurges on a stone walkway and patio. In the end, the backyard is exactly what she wanted. But once again, they've gone way over budget, by $700. With only three spaces completed, they've already spent $16,937.